Hero Dubai Desert Classic: Five things to know

The DP World Tour returns to Emirates Golf Club this week for the first Rolex Series event of 2025 as the Hero Dubai Desert Classic marks the start of the International Swing. Here are your five things to know.

McIlroy chases historic hat-trick

Rory McIlroy became the first player to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title on four occasions by successfully defending his title last year as he moved ahead of fellow multiple Major winner Ernie Els’ trio of wins. This week the Northern Irishman could make more history by becoming the first player to lift the Dallah Trophy three years in a row. There are few who know the Majlis Course better than the Northern Irishman does, having first played at the Dubai venue as a 16-year-old amateur in 2006. Since winning in 2009, he has finished in the top ten in his subsequent ten appearances. The 35-year-old has not played since winning the DP World Tour Championship and his sixth Race to Dubai title in November and he will be determined to once again make a quick start to the year in his bid for another Harry Vardon Trophy.

Start of the International Swing

Following on from the five-event Opening Swing across November and December, won by John Parry of England, the DP World Tour’s Global Swings phase continues with the International Swing. Spanning seven counting events across six countries, the global nature of the DP World Tour will be on show. Following this week, events across the Middle East in Ras Al Khaimah, Bahrain and Qatar will follow, with a one-week break in the schedule in advance of a trip to Kenya and a double-header in South Africa. The player who finishes top of the International Swing Ranking will earn an exemption into all Back 9 events on the DP World Tour’s 2025 Race to Dubai schedule and a US$200,000 bonus. With 8,000 Race to Dubai points to play for in Dubai, a fast start will be on the minds of those in action this week.

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• International Swing: All you need to know

First Rolex Series event of the year

First launched in 2017, the Rolex Series is one of the most important initiatives in the DP World Tour's history. For the second year running, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is the first of five Rolex Series events on the 2025 Race to Dubai schedule. It was given its elevated status as a blue riband event for the first time in 2022. It will be followed by the Genesis Scottish Open in July, the BMW PGA Championship in September, before the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship both take place in November as the DP World Tour Play-Offs round off the season for the second year running. Last season, McIlroy claimed two Rolex Series victories in Dubai at either end of the year, while Robert MacIntyre, Billy Horschel and Paul Waring also celebrated success in the premium category tournaments.

Inside the field

Star power will not be in short supply as McIlroy is joined by a host of renowned global players, including fellow Hero Dubai Desert Classic champion Viktor Hovland, who returns to the event for the first time since his 2022 victory. The duo are joined by their Ryder Cup team-mates Jon Rahm, who is making his debut, Olympic Silver Medallist Tommy Fleetwood, and fellow Rolex Series winners Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton, as well as European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald. Major champions in the field include Pádraig Harrington, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott and Jimmy Walker, while further Rolex Series winners Ryan Fox, Min Woo Lee, Thomas Pieters and Dubai resident Paul Waring – who triumphed in Abu Dhabi in November – provide further international appeal. There are no fewer than 15 first-time Rolex Series players, including Parry and Australia’s Elvis Smylie, who sit first and third in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

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Dubai continues green commitment

Established in 1989, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is the oldest golf competition in the Middle East and this year’s event is the 36th edition of the tournament. As in previous years, there are multiple innovations providing a more sustainable tournament experience. With the support of Aggreko, generators will be run by pure biodiesel, while there will be 270 solar panels across viewing areas on the Majlis Course, the Media Centre, and the on-site DP World Tour office. There will also be a 500kw battery in the players’ lounge, a new piece of equipment in the region. Waste management is also a focus, with last year’s tournament increasing waste avoidance from landfills to 95%. Spectators will be encouraged to use the metro station located outside the venue, with a charge of AED 50 for car parking and funds going towards planting mangroves locally. Finally, all unavoidable emissions will be offset once again this year via the Gold Standard’s Rolex Series Driving Net Zero portfolio, supporting important climate mitigation projects regionally and globally. In 2023 this event became the first golf event in the Middle East and within the Rolex Series to achieve GEO Certified Tournament Status for its commitment, breadth and depth of action, and leadership in driving forward sustainable golf events. The 2024 event also received the prestigious certification, which is an industry leading credibility standard that recognises leadership and action in environmental and social responsibility.